FORT MYERS, Fla. '" Florida Gulf Coast University men'™s basketball won for the eighth time in nine games Saturday afternoon as they defeated Albany State 48-44 in NCAA Division II men'™s basketball action at Alico Arena.

The Eagles said goodbye to the first four-year members of their basketball program, as graduating seniors Gabe Pean and Marcus Parker made their final appearances in an FGCU uniform.

FGCU finishes the season on a high note at 18-12. Albany State, which competes in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament next weekend, falls to 17-11.

Pean (Weston, Fla.) had one of his finest games for FGCU. The point guard scored a team-high 11 points, including two critical free throws with five seconds to go after grabbing a potential game-tying jumper by the Rams'™ Sean Glenn with six seconds to play. He hit 5-of-6 from the line and also grabbed six rebounds. Pean leaves as the Eagles all-time leader in games played (116) and second on the career steals and assists list.

In a slow first half that saw the Eagles hold a 15-12 lead with 4:01 to play, FGCU overcame early shooting woes to build a 23-16 lead at the break. The Eagles built a 30-20 lead with 16:29 to play but an 11-0 run gave the Rams a 31-30 lead with 14:04 to go.

Albany State led 38-37 but the Eagles took the lead for good when sophomore Brendan Rooney (Fort Myers, Fla.) knocked down his second three-pointer for a 40-38 lead. The Rams turned it over on the next possession and Parker (Milton, Fla.) converted a lay-up for a 42-38 lead.

FGCU held Albany State to just four points in the final 8:14 of the game.

Sophomore forward Casey Wohlleb (Boca Raton, Fla.) added eight points for the winners, while junior guard Beau Bauer (Walton, Ind.) and sophomore center Roman Narmbaye (Chad, Africa) added seven points each. Parker ended his career with four points and three rebounds.